Bangladesh Congress candidate for Bogura-4 constituency Ashraful Hossain Alam, better known as Hero Alam, boycotted the election on Sunday during vote counting alleging various irregularities. 12th JS Election: AL romps home amid low turnout in peaceful but predictable polls He announced the decision on his verified Facebook page on Sunday at around 6:30 pm. Hero Alam said, “There have been many irregularities in this election. That's why I'm boycotting.” Giants who lost 12th national election race Returning Officer Saiful Islam said Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) candidate AKM Rezaul Karim Tansen was elected from the constituency. Singer Momtaz fails to secure her place in national polls

Ashraful Alam, better known as “Hero Alam”, registered a general diary (GD) last night (July 24, 2023) after he allegedly received a death threat on the phone. Hero Alam filed the GD with Hatirjheel police station around 11:30 pm, said Abdul Quadir, sub-inspector of the police station. Read: EC wants to form judicial inquiry committee to investigate attack on Hero Alam According to the GD, “Hero Alam received three calls from an unknown number, threatening to kill him. He received the first call at 9:43 pm on Monday night.” “The caller threatened that he would teach him (Hero Alam) a lesson and dump his body in the Buriganga river within seven days,” reads the GD. Hero Alam, an independent contestant of the recently concluded Dhaka-17 by-polls, was physically assaulted while leaving a polling centre in Dhaka’s Banani area on July 17. Read: Won’t join any election again under Awami League govt: Hero Alam Following the assault, Hero Alam's personal assistant filed a case at Banani police station accusing 15 to 20 unidentified individuals. Police have arrested several people in a case filed over the assault on Hero Alam.

A Dhaka court on Tuesday placed on a two-day remand the two accused who were arrested over attack on Hero Alam, an independent candidate of Dhaka-17 by-election. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Arfatul Rakib passed the order. The investigating officer of the case, sub-inspector Noor Uddin of Banani Police Station, sought a seven-day remand for the accused- Chanoar Kazi and Biplab Hossain. Meanwhile, the court ordered sending other five accused - Mahmudul Hasan Mehdi, Mujahid Khan, Ashiq Sarkar, Hriday Sheikh, and Sohail Mollah- to jail. Action against those involved in Hero Alam assault: EC Alamgir Earlier on Monday, Hero Alam was physically assaulted while leaving a polling centre in Dhaka’s Banani area. He was taken to a hospital in Rampura around 5:30 pm. Those attacking Hero Alam were trying to make Dhaka-17 by-polls controversial: Arafat condemns incident Following the assault, Hero Alam's personal assistant filed a case at Banani police station accusing 15 to 20 unidentified individuals of perpetrating the attack. Earlier, Hero Alam alleged that his agents were being “barred from entering the polling stations” and that several of them were “harassed by AL activists and leaders.” 4 arrested over attack on Hero Alam

Dhaka-17 constituency MP candidate, Ashraful Hossain Alam -- better known as "Hero Alam" -- has alleged that his agents are being barred from entering the polling stations and that several of them were harassed by the AL activists and leaders. “The ruling party’s activists have resorted to intimidating tactics to oust my agents. They physically assaulted some of our agents, including women, and barred them from entering the polling centres,” said the independent candidate at Banani Model School centre this morning (July 17, 2023). Independent candidate Tariqul Islam Bhuiyan boycotts Dhaka-17 by-polls Asked in which polling centres his agents faced trouble entering, he mentioned Bhashantek Govt Primary School, Adamji Cantonment College, Matikata High School, and Jamia Madrasa centres. He expressed concern about the fairness of the election. EC monitoring Dhaka-17 by-polls, elections of 2 municipalities through CCTV cameras “However, I’m determined to remain in the electoral race until the end,” he said. Voting for Dhaka-17 by-polls, election in 7 municipalities underway

The nomination papers of Ashraful Hossain Alam alias Hero Alam, who has collected papers for contesting the upcoming by-elections for Bogura-4 and Bogura-6 constituencies as independent candidate, were turned down by the Election Commission on Sunday. Deputy Commissioner Saiful Islam said the nomination papers of eleven candidates including Hero Alam were cancelled as the Election Commission found mismatched documents against their affidavits. If there is any objection, he/she can file an appeal against it, he said. Also Read: Accept Hero Alam’s nomination, HC orders EC When talking, Hero Alam said “I will file an appeal and if my nomination papers prove valid, I will contest for the two constituencies.” Hero Alam has collected nomination papers for contesting the upcoming by-election for Bogura-4 and Bogura-6 constituencies as an independent candidate. The Election Commission has announced the date of the by-election in the vacant post for February 1.  Hero Alam contested for Bogura-4 (Kahalu-Nandigram) constituency as an independent candidate in the 11th national election. He got 638 votes. Also Read: Bogura by-election: Hero Alam collects nomination On December 2, 2018, the nomination paper of much-talked-about independent candidate for Bagura-4 seats Ashraful Alam alias Hero Alam was turned down by the Election Commission as he could not properly submit the signatures of one percent voters of his constituency. Later, he filed an appeal petition challenging the Election Commission’s decision which was rejected by the Appellate Division. The Supreme Court declared his nomination legal. Hero Alam also failed to collect nomination paper from Jatiya Party for the by-elections.  

The Hero Alam episode has been a bad advertisement for the state as a culture controller. Not that they are feeling embarrassed about it. As the police told the media, they have received many complaints against Hero Alam’s singing. So they brought him in. And the police told him not to do the singing which irritates many, at least going by the complaints. What is odd is that the police thought this to be worth noticing. As they act when under pressure, it seems a large section of the elite are seriously unhappy and feel “threatened” by Hero Alam. The police of course had another axe to grind. As they told the media, he had been using a police uniform in some of his videos acting as police bosses wearing constables’ dress. This had insulted the force in general. Also read: Accept Hero Alam’s nomination, HC orders EC What was unexpected is the response from social media which was overwhelmingly against such action. Hero was turned into a victim and a public hero. Many said the police had no business deciding what is culturally appropriate. That Alam was from the bottom and the police were shutting down a voice from there. Hero Alam had suddenly become a voice of a cultural class war. So where is the conflict ? Ex-Minister Murad who was sacked after rape threat tapes were leaked is reportedly one of the complainants. In a You Tube interview, he said, “ I was at an event where he was singing. He probably didn’t recognize me. After he finished singing I told him “have you no shame. ? The impudence you showed in singing is astounding. You need voice, talent, knowledge of music and you have none. Given the voice and the face God has given you, you should sing for the lower class which is your audience and should not come to Gulshan to sing. “ Admitting that Hero Alam had an audience who listened to him on You tube, his ire was that he should be singing in front of He had no doubt that he sang for the lower class and it’s Gulshan that was offended. Also read: DB quizzes Hero Alom for controversial video content The matter has been here for long but the issue is not about his singing but the control of social media. No one controls social media and that is anxiety creating. Hero Alam insults the establishment culture by his singing and it can’t be stopped on social media. Anyone studying popular culture will know that Facebook has built a virtual alternate world of culture which neither the establishment nor the shushils can recognize. With millions of views with which no mainstream product can compete, the sense of lack of control is high. And its growing. The conflict is not about who sings Tagore but who controls social media. The outcome is obvious. The state has turned Alam into a Hero. And the battle has no chance of ending right now, no matter how many times police class.